Here are some thoughts from Wai Won Ching owner of eZeebikes, in response to some of the comments in this thread.
A few years ago I had a desire to build an electric Fat Bike, but when discussed with Justin Lemire-Elmore, owner of Grin Cyclery, AKA ebikes.ca, he didn't think there was a market for it and that the Surly version was just a passing fad.
Then suddenly there was huge interest all around the world, not just in the USA. This year almost every bike stand in all the shows I have visited had one.
eZee is late to come up with a Fat Bike, but I would rather be late than make mistakes.
As to the design and geometry, I have been studying it for a long time and taken notes of a lot of bikes at the shows, frames, gears, tyres, components, etc., and met with many suppliers discussing what they could provide. Obviously I have looked at all the electrical systems that were on show as well.
After much consideration I have decided on the parameters that would be best, and being a e-bike designer, manufacturer and business for 14 years, I know what I am getting at. Nothing is perfect of course, but what I designed has been given the utmost consideration after consulting with a lot of other experts.
Some major points.
a) The frame. It is made from CrMo 4130 steel. The tubes are butted to save weight, and after discussion we decided on straight heavy duty tubes to get maximum structural integrity. One of the comments is correct, from my experience, my policy is always "robustness before aesthetics, simplicity is elegance"
b) Common mistakes. A lot of Fat e-bikes has just retro-fitted electrical system on it without much considerations. e.g. standard push-bike style Fat bikes have very small chain wheels with 36T or less because they need more torque to ride. Therefore the electrical versions have also 36T chain wheel, and some cheaper versions have standard entry level sprockets with the lowest 14 T, at 25 kmph, they would need very high cadence, and the feet would be spinning very fast, or they have triple chain wheel which to cost and complexity.
Our standard is a 48T single chain wheel and 11 T sprocket that makes a very comfortable cadence at 25 to 32 kph.
Such a change would involve changes to the chain stay, not just a matter of switching the chain wheel from one to the other.
c) Quality components. There is a lot of things to be written here. But I will just keep it very short here. Just a matter of the tyres, inner tubes, rim tape and rims.
I have checked out more than 20 different suppliers, the product specs and what is really best for the consumer, and the fit between all these 4 items.
On the e-REX , the rim from Weinmann Rigida is double wall. I have seen a lot of ridiculous single wall rims with lots of holes punched on it to save some weight.
But no, I decided on a heavy double wall rim, and Weinmann Rigida agreed with me whole heartedly, that is why they made such a rim in the first place.
The tyres are Speedster 3.5" width from Vee Rubber made in Thailand, specially formulated and constructed. I did not choose the easy to get tyres manufacturers in China or even Schwalbe the supplier for all the other tyres we use, I could have just ordered and shipped in the same container. There are good reasons, but only in consideration for a superior product. Not for convenience or price.
d) The Cube SUV Hybrid Pro is not a fat bike, it used the Schwalbe Big Ben tyres 2.15" or 2.35", we have these choices on our Expedir , including Schwalbe Big Apple and the Marathon Plus 2.0" which in my opinion is the best balance for comfort and durability.
There is a lot more to be said, but I think I have said enough here, that eZee is a dedicated professional e-bike manufacturer, that has the customer interest at heart, makes a superior product with great value for money.
